Top-graded CFL players of Week 19: Highlighting the league’s best performers

The CFL season is heating up, and each week, we’re diving into the numbers to spotlight the league’s top performers.

Thanks to consistent demand from fans, we’re bringing you the top 10 highest-graded CFL players who played significant snaps, based on PFF’s grading system.

From quarterbacks dissecting defenses to defensive linemen wreaking havoc in the trenches, these are the athletes who stood out above the rest in Week 19. We'll be highlighting this group every week of the season, so CFL fans can keep track of the top-tier talent making an impact across the league.

Want to dig deeper into the data? Click here for full season-level PFF grades across the CFL.

Grading Highlight of the Week: WR Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan Roughriders

No receiver came close to matching Samuel Emilus in Week 19. The Riders’ wideout earned the highest receiving grade of the week after a dominant showing, catching six of eight targets for 142 yards and four first downs. His highlight reel included a toe-tapping sideline grab while being forced out mid-air, an underthrown deep ball hauled in behind a defender’s head and a shallow crosser he turned into a 50-yard gain after outrunning defenders and forcing a missed tackle.

Each of those catches earned top-end grading — contested grabs, sideline control and post-catch production all carry high value. Emilus was a threat every time he stepped on the field, finishing with a league-best 5.68 yards per route run in Week 19.

It’s unfortunate Emilus has been limited to just seven games due to injuries. At his current pace, a full season would project to 85 catches for 1,344 yards and five touchdowns — production that would rank near the top of the league.

His advanced metrics are just as impressive. Among receivers who have played enough snaps to qualify, Emilus would lead the league with an 84.1 receiving grade. His 3.03 yards per route run average ranks first by a wide margin (Keon Hatcher is second at 2.64), and he’s also the CFL’s highest-graded run-blocking wideout at 75.0. A healthy Emilus is one of the most complete players in the league — and the Riders will be hoping he can stay on the field the rest of the way.

Quarterback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Trevor Harris	Saskatchewan Roughriders	56	90.0
Vernon Adams Jr.	Calgary Stampeders	54	87.8
Cody Fajardo	Edmonton Elks	49	69.6
Quincy Vaughn	Calgary Stampeders	26	69.6
Davis Alexander	Montreal Alouettes	47	69.1
Bo Levi Mitchell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	54	68.2
Jarret Doege	Toronto Argonauts	43	64.3
Zach Collaros	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	47	43.4
Dustin Crum	Ottawa Redblacks	56	28.9

Running Back

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Dedrick Mills	Calgary Stampeders	38	81.4
Brady Oliveira	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	70.8
William Stanback	Ottawa Redblacks	42	70.4
Justin Rankin	Edmonton Elks	43	67.3
Stevie Scott III	Montreal Alouettes	40	64.0
Spencer Brown	Toronto Argonauts	46	62.1
Greg Bell	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	61.3
A.J. Ouellette	Saskatchewan Roughriders	47	59.8

Wide Receiver

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Samuel Emilus	Saskatchewan Roughriders	38	88.7
Kenny Lawler	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	54	75.0
Tim White	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	54	71.7
Austin Mack	Montreal Alouettes	47	71.2
Kian Schaffer-Baker	Saskatchewan Roughriders	56	70.9
Kaion Julien-Grant	Edmonton Elks	49	69.0
Kalil Pimpleton	Ottawa Redblacks	32	68.2
Jerreth Sterns	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	48	67.7
Kevin Mital	Toronto Argonauts	29	67.1
Clark Barnes	Calgary Stampeders	25	66.2

Offensive Tackle

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Nick Callender	Montreal Alouettes	45	79.0
Brett Boyko	Edmonton Elks	50	76.2
Preston Nichols	Calgary Stampeders	54	76.0
Jermarcus Hardrick	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	75.2
Martez Ivey	Edmonton Elks	50	71.4
Payton Collins	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	71.3
Stanley Bryant	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	70.8
Kendall Randolph	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	67.2
Tiger Shanks	Montreal Alouettes	48	64.9
Dino Boyd	Ottawa Redblacks	56	62.7

Offensive Guard

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Zack Williams	Calgary Stampeders	54	78.8
Mark Korte	Edmonton Elks	50	74.6
Brandon Revenberg	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	55	71.8
Pier-Olivier Lestage	Montreal Alouettes	48	70.5
Patrick Neufeld	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	70.1
Donald Ventrelli	Montreal Alouettes	45	68.1
Jacob Ruby	Ottawa Redblacks	56	66.7
Mark Evans II	Edmonton Elks	22	66.5
Tomas Jack-Kurdyla	Calgary Stampeders	31	64.5
Carter O'Donnell	Edmonton Elks	50	63.3

Centre

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
David Beard	Edmonton Elks	50	74.4
Coulter Woodmansey	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	55	70.3
Chris Kolankowski	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	69.2
Logan Ferland	Saskatchewan Roughriders	58	64.6
Christopher Fortin	Calgary Stampeders	54	62.1
Peter Nicastro	Toronto Argonauts	52	61.9
Peter Godber	Ottawa Redblacks	56	54.0
Justin Lawrence	Montreal Alouettes	48	53.9

Interior Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Mike Rose	Saskatchewan Roughriders	33	86.0
J-Min Pelley	Toronto Argonauts	31	76.0
Cameron Lawson	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	34	72.4
Caleb Sanders	Saskatchewan Roughriders	28	72.1
Micah Johnson	Saskatchewan Roughriders	26	71.1
Blessman Ta'ala	Ottawa Redblacks	39	70.3
Mario Kendricks Jr.	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	45	70.1
Joseph Wallace	Toronto Argonauts	22	68.1
Mustafa Johnson	Montreal Alouettes	39	67.5
Miles Brown	Calgary Stampeders	44	65.2

Edge Defender

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Clarence Hicks	Calgary Stampeders	43	81.3
Jose Ramirez	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	23	78.4
Charles Wiley	Calgary Stampeders	36	75.6
Habakkuk Baldonado	Saskatchewan Roughriders	41	74.8
Lwal Uguak	Montreal Alouettes	39	73.4
Julian Howsare	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	45	71.1
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund	Montreal Alouettes	46	70.1
Shaun Peterson Jr.	Calgary Stampeders	21	68.1
Aidan John	Ottawa Redblacks	27	67.9
Andrew Chatfield Jr.	Toronto Argonauts	52	67.1

Linebacker

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Najee Murray	Montreal Alouettes	55	74.9
Aaron Casey	Toronto Argonauts	36	74.6
Geoffrey Cantin-Arku	Montreal Alouettes	32	73.3
Jaiden Woodbey	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	44	72.7
Devin Veresuk	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	54	72.7
Tyrice Beverette	Montreal Alouettes	56	70.4
Antoine Brooks Jr.	Saskatchewan Roughriders	52	69.6
Isaac Darkangelo	Toronto Argonauts	58	68.1
Brock Mogensen	Edmonton Elks	45	67.3
Tony Jones	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	46	67.1

Cornerback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Benjie Franklin	Toronto Argonauts	58	81.0
Benny Sapp III	Saskatchewan Roughriders	51	75.6
Adrian Greene	Calgary Stampeders	55	74.9
Jamal Parker Jr.	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	49	74.3
Cam Lockridge	Ottawa Redblacks	48	73.9
Kabion Ento	Montreal Alouettes	55	73.0
C.J. Coldon Jr.	Ottawa Redblacks	48	70.3
J.J. Ross	Edmonton Elks	50	68.8
Marcus Sayles	Saskatchewan Roughriders	52	68.5
Lorenzo Burns	Montreal Alouettes	56	66.1

Halfback

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Kordell Jackson	Edmonton Elks	50	75.9
Deatrick Nichols	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	75.4
Wesley Sutton	Montreal Alouettes	56	75.3
Evan Holm	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	50	74.4
Ciante Evans	Montreal Alouettes	46	70.5
Mark Milton	Ottawa Redblacks	45	69.8
Destin Talbert	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	53	68.6
Kobe Williams	Edmonton Elks	50	66.7
Jaydon Grant	Calgary Stampeders	54	64.5
Sheldrick Redwine	Saskatchewan Roughriders	51	64.4

Safety

Name	Team	Snaps	Overall Grade
Derek Slywka	Toronto Argonauts	58	76.9
Marc-Antoine Dequoy	Montreal Alouettes	56	70.0
Chelen Garnes	Edmonton Elks	50	69.3
C.J. Reavis	Saskatchewan Roughriders	52	67.6
Cam Allen	Winnipeg Blue Bombers	41	66.1
Deandre Lamont	Ottawa Redblacks	48	59.9
Bailey Devine-Scott	Calgary Stampeders	54	50.3
Stavros Katsantonis	Hamilton Tiger-Cats	54	40.2